Informing and connecting businesses in New Jersey

Saint Peter’s University names new business school dean

Also announces new Meadowlands location, in Lyndhurst

Mary Kate Naatus has been named KPMG Dean of the School of Business at Saint Peter's University.

Saint Peter’s University has named the interim dean of its business school to the permanent post, it announced recently.

Mary Kate Naatus will now hold the title of KPMG Dean of the School of Business, having served as interim dean as well as chair of the Business Department and an associate professor of business administration at the Jersey City university.

“Dr. Naatus has been a tremendous asset to the university over the years, as she maintains strong relationships with community partners and business leaders in Jersey City and beyond,” Frederick Bonato, Saint Peter’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in a prepared statement. “These relationships benefit the university and our students. We are confident in her ability to lead the School of Business and look forward to what the school will accomplish under her guidance.”

Naatus, who was the founding director of Saint Peter’s Ignite Institute and served as its director of research, also has served as a program director in New Jersey Institute of Technology’s School of Management. She has her B.A. from The College of New Jersey, her MBA from NJIT and her doctorate from Rutgers University.

“I am thrilled to have been chosen to lead Saint Peter’s School of Business,” she said in a statement. “As one of the most diverse colleges in our region, with a strong emphasis on Jesuit values and the liberal arts, Saint Peter’s shapes leaders that are equipped to deal with complex global challenges and to become engaged citizens throughout their careers and lives.”

She also serves on the strategic advisory boards for Rising Tide Capital, as well as the Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship Networks.

Saint Peter’s also announced that it is opening a new location in Lyndhurst, dubbed “Saint Peter’s University at the Meadowlands.”

The new location, at 1280 Wall St. W. on Bergen County Community College’s Lyndhurst campus, will help the university expand its adult undergraduate and graduate program offerings in Bergen County. Offerings will include graduate studies in business — leading to an MBA — and education, as well as bachelor’s degrees from the university’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

The opening is pending approval by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

“The university community is eager to celebrate the official opening of Saint Peter’s University at the Meadowlands, as it will bring new program options to the area and will provide individuals who live and work in the region with an opportunity to advance their careers,” President Eugene J. Cornacchia said in a statement.